Israel’s Foreign Ministry has officially denied claims that the country transferred Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, contradicting statements made by Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine Mikhael Brodsky.

The denial came after Brodsky told a blogger in an interview that Israel had ostensibly transferred weapons to Ukraine, specifically mentioning Patriot air defense systems that were previously in Israeli service. The ambassador did not specify when Ukraine allegedly received these systems.

“These are Israeli systems that were in IDF service in the early 1990s. We agreed to transfer them to Ukraine,” Brodsky stated. “Unfortunately, there hasn’t been much talk about it. But when people say Israel didn’t provide military aid — that’s simply not true.”

Official rebuttal from Israel’s Foreign Ministry

The Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a clarification following an inquiry from Ynet, stating that Ambassador Brodsky’s claims about Jerusalem transferring Patriot systems to Ukraine were incorrect.

“This is not true. Israel did not transfer Patriot systems to Ukraine,” the Ministry said, according to Ynet’s report on 10 June.

According to Ynet, Russia reportedly contacted Israel requesting clarification on Brodsky’s statement.

Reports in January suggested that Israel planned to transfer Patriot missiles to Ukraine, not the Patriot systems.

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Not the first denial of weapon transfer

This is not the first time Israel has been linked to alleged weapons transfers to Ukraine, which were later officially denied.

Previously, Israel was allegedly contemplating sending large quantities of Russian-made weapons seized from Hezbollah and Syria to Ukraine in 2024. The reported cargo allegedly included anti-tank guided missiles, rocket-propelled grenades, surface-to-air missiles, and ammunition that would be shipped via US C-17 aircraft to Rzeszów, Poland.

However, in February 2025, Israel’s Foreign Ministry called these earlier reports as “baseless” and confirmed no transfer of such arms occurred. Ambassador Brodsky himself stated at that time that “no such decision has been made by the Ministry of Defense,” calling the earlier reports a result of miscommunication.

Israel has not transferred any Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, the Israeli Foreign Ministry told Israeli news outlet Ynet on June 10, refuting earlier claims made by its own ambassador in Kyiv.

"Israel has not transferred such systems to Ukraine," the Israeli Foreign Ministry told Ynet in a statement.

The denial contrasts with statements made by Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine Michael Brodsky, who said in a recent interview that Israel had agreed to transfer retired Patriot missile systems — originally supplied by the U.S. in the 1990s — to Ukraine.

"The Patriot systems that we once received from the United States are now in Ukraine," Brodsky said in an interview with Ukrainian blogger Marichka Dovbenko. "When people say that Israel did not help militarily, that is not true."

Kyiv has consistently pressed Western partners to bolster Ukraine's air defenses, warning that its current capabilities are insufficient to counter the scale of Russian missile and drone assaults.

The Patriot system, a U.S.-made surface-to-air missile platform, is widely recognized for its high-precision detection, tracking, and interception of aircraft, cruise, and ballistic missiles.

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi has neither confirmed nor denied the delivery of Israeli Patriots to Ukraine.

"We welcome signals from Israel about its readiness to provide military assistance," Tykhyi said at a press briefing.

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The Kyiv Independent contacted the Israeli Embassy in Ukraine, the Israeli Foreign Ministry, and Ukraine's Presidential Office for comments but has yet to receive a response.  

According to a May 4 reporting by the New York Times, which cited four current and former U.S. officials, at least one Patriot system that was previously deployed in Israel will be refurbished and sent to Ukraine.

It remains unclear what U.S. President Donald Trump's stance is on the decision or whether the move was initiated before he took office, during former President Joe Biden's administration.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly underscored Kyiv's urgent need for more air defenses. Speaking to CBS News in April, he said Ukraine is prepared to buy 10 Patriot batteries for $15 billion to protect densely populated areas.

"We will find the money and pay for everything," Zelensky said, emphasizing Ukraine's intention to buy additional systems, rather than requesting them for free.

Despite Kyiv's appeals, Trump dismissed the request on April 14, accusing Zelensky of "always looking to purchase missiles."

Russia has carried out near-nightly aerial assaults in recent weeks. On June 9, Ukraine's Air Force said Russia launched 499 aerial weapons in a record overnight attack.

Ukraine has expressed solidarity with Israel following the deadly Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, condemning the violence and affirming its support for Israel's right to defend itself.

In one of largest attacks on Ukraine’s capital, Russian barrage hits Kyiv, Odesa, kills 3, injures 12

In the early hours of June 10, Kyiv and Odesa came under another mass Russian attack, involving ballistic missiles and drones.

The Kyiv IndependentOlena Goncharova

The Israeli Patriot systems that once defended Tel Aviv in the ’90s are now saving Ukrainian cities from Russian missile strikes.

Israel has been helping Ukraine militarily, specifically by transferring Patriot air defense systems that are currently operating to protect Ukrainian skies. This was confirmed by the Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine, Michael Brodsky.

“These systems are now in Ukraine. These are Israeli systems that were in service in Israel in the early 1990s. We agreed to transfer them to Ukraine,” Brodsky said in an interview with Marichka Dovbenko.

The ambassador stressed that claims that Israel is not providing military aid are false.

“When people say Israel didn’t help militarily — that’s not true,” Brodsky emphasized.

The Patriot systems in question recently proved their effectiveness — on the night of 9 June, Ukrainian forces shot down all four Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles launched by Russian troops.

“The existing Patriot systems performed at 100% today. There is no other way to intercept such targets,” said Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat during a live broadcast on Channel 5.

He noted that the Patriots allow the Armed Forces of Ukraine to effectively destroy not only Kinzhal missiles but also other complex targets, including Iskander systems, capable of launching 800 kg missiles. 

Ukraine is still waiting for the United States to respond to its request to purchase air defense systems, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on 7 June. This followed a major Russian air assault on Kharkiv city the same day, as Russia reportedly targeted the city with 67 explosive drones, nine aerial bombs, and a missile.

Zelenskyy calls for urgent US support

In his evening address on 7 June, Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine urgently needs “positive signals” from the US — not just words, but concrete decisions.

“We are working to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense. We urgently need positive signals from the United States – concrete signals regarding air defense systems,” he said. “We are still waiting for a response to our request to purchase systems that can help — concrete signals, not words.”

He also thanked European nations for their support and emphasized the importance of joint production efforts.

“We must also achieve results in the joint production of air defense systems and missiles for them – this is absolutely essential for our whole Europe,” Zelenskyy noted, adding that “only time separates us from that result, and what matters most is shortening that time.”

Reuters: US expects another multi-pronged Russian strike after Ukraine’s Spiderweb drone attack

The statement came after a Ukrainian delegation visited Washington on 6 June. According to the head of the Office of the President, Andrii Yermak, Ukraine expressed its readiness to buy weapons from the US. However, Yermak stated that members of Congress believe Washington can continue supplying arms directly to Ukraine instead.

On 6 June, Russia attacked Kyiv, Lutsk, and Ternopil with hundreds of drones and 45 missiles, leading to heavy casualties among civilians. That day, US President Donald Trump appeared to defend Russia’s massive airstrike on Ukrainian cities the night before, claiming that Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb had given Vladimir Putin “a reason to go in and bomb the hell out of them last night.” Earlier, after a phone call with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, he said Russia’s reaction would “not be pretty.” 

After the large-scale Ukrainian strike on Russian airfields, Russia was preparing an Iskander missile attack on Kyiv, but Ukraine’s Defense Forces launched a preemptive strike on the launchers in Bryansk Oblast.

Four days after the airfield attack, units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in coordination with the Security Service and other units of the Defense Forces, launched a missile strike on a Russian missile unit concentration area.

“The 26th missile brigade of the Russian military, operating from the area of Klintsy in Bryansk Oblast, was preparing to strike one of the Ukrainian population centers—most likely Kyiv,” the Ukrainian report states.

Due to effective intelligence and coordinated action by the Ukrainian units, the intended targets were successfully hit. 

“One Russian missile launcher detonated, and two others were likely damaged,” the statement adds.

The extent of the damage is still being verified.

The General Staff emphasized that the timely and effective combat actions by Ukraine’s defenders helped prevent civilian casualties.

The Russian Iskander-M ballistic missile carries a conventional warhead weighing nearly 800 kilograms.  Ukraine counters the missiles with the US-supplied Patriot system. Russia recently modernized the Iskander-M to make interception more difficult: it can now deploy radar decoys and perform evasive maneuvers during its terminal flight phase. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that “with every new strike, with every delay of diplomacy, Russia is showing the middle finger to the entire world—to all those who still hesitate to increase pressure on it.” 

Coordination of Ukrainian aircraft and air defense systems with NATO opens a new era of defensive capabilities in the war against Russia, 24 Channel reports. 

Ukraine’s F-16 and Mirage 2000 jets will now operate within a unified digital network alongside NATO air defense systems, enabling real-time exchange of critical information. This will ensure maximum coordination of actions in the air and significantly boost the country’s defensive potential.

Aviation expert Bohdan Dolintse emphasizes that the integration covers not only Ukrainian ground-based air defense systems but also satellite data and allied systems deployed near the Black Sea and on Ukraine’s western borders.

“This is the opportunity to integrate with ground air defense systems, satellite data… information can be automatically transmitted to aircraft and air defense systems,” Dolintse explains.

In other words, as the expert noted, having radar on the F-16 means the aircraft receives consolidated information from multiple sources and presents the pilot with the broadest, most complete situational picture, enhancing decision-making effectiveness and mission execution.

Earlier, Deputy Minister of Defense for Digitalization Kateryna Chernogorenko announced that Ukraine signed a licensing agreement to use NATO’s non-commercial software with the Link-16 data transmission protocol, a “military Wi-Fi” that ensures compatibility with allies and improves combat management, UNIAN reports. 

This step is extremely important for strengthening Ukraine’s air defense and deepening partnerships with NATO countries amid the war.

Moscow strikes cities while pretending to pursue “peace initiatives.” In response, Ukraine is accelerating the production of ultra-fast missiles. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ordered separate funding to be allocated to Ukraine’s ballistic missile program.

President Zelenskyy addressed the situation in his evening speech, following the record-breaking Russian strike. Russian ruler Vladimir Putin and his circle have no intention of ending the war, according to intelligence, he said.

“On the contrary, there’s plenty of evidence that they are preparing new offensive operations. Russia is counting on a long war,” the Ukrainian president claimed.

During the meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s Staff, Zelenskyy ordered Ukraine’s leadership to thoroughly analyze the consequences of the Russian strikes, their drone tactics, and responses.

“I also ordered separate funding to be allocated for our Ukrainian ballistic missile program — to speed up missile production,” Zelenskyy said.

Earlier, Yurii Ihnat, spokesperson for the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, reported that Russia has upgraded its Iskander-M ballistic missiles to make them harder to intercept.

Each upgraded missile can now deploy radar-decoying countermeasures during its final approach to the target. According to Ihnat, this modernization has reduced the effectiveness of the Patriot air defense systems against Russian ballistic missiles.

“I believe our partners are working on this — to improve the system in response,” Ihnat stated.

Earlier, Umerov met with representatives of Raytheon, one of the key producers of Patriot systems, the only weapons in Ukraine that are capable of intercepting Russian ballistic missiles.

The top agenda issue was Kyiv’s urgent need for additional air defense systems and missiles.

Germany is planning to send Ukraine older PAC-2 Patriot missiles to replenish its dwindling stockpiles of air defense ammunition, the Washington Post (WP) reported on May 26, citing a European diplomat.

The U.S.-made Patriot air defense system is widely recognized for its high-precision detection, tracking, and interception of aircraft, cruise, and ballistic missiles. Kyiv is running out of  ammunition for its Patriots as Russia intensifies its drone and missile attacks.

In early May, the U.S. authorized Germany to transfer 100 Patriot air defense missiles to Ukraine. Speaking to the WP anonymously, a European diplomat in Kyiv said that Berlin plans to send older PAC-2 missiles, which are less effective at intercepting ballistic missiles than the newer PAC-3 Patriots.

A senior Ukrainian intelligence official, also speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that even PAC-3 missiles cannot intercept Russia's Oreshnik, the new intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) Moscow used to attack the city of Dnipro in November.  

The European diplomat added that the only other air defense weapon potentially capable of shooting down ballistics is the Aster, a French-Italian missile. This capability has not yet been proven, he said.

The more modern PAC-3 missiles are designed with "hit-to-kill" precision targeting technology, which the older PAC-2s lack. PAC-3s are also smaller, lighter, and more manueverable than PAC-2 missiles. A standard Patriot launcher can fit 16 PAC-3s at once, compared to only four PAC-2s.

The claim that Germany's latest air defense package may consist of less effective missiles comes after Ukraine endured three consecutive nights of large-scale Russian attacks. Moscow bombarded Kyiv and other cities with ballistic and cruise missiles while also launching a record number of drones at Ukraine.

After the first attack, Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said that Russia has upgraded its ballistic missiles with radar decoys and evasive maneuvers, making them potentially harder to intercept even by Patriot systems.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has offered to buy 10 Patriot batteries from Washington, but U.S. President Donald Trump dismissed the request. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on May 20 that Washington is looking for other NATO nations to supply Ukraine with additional Patriots.

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